


Life's Too Short To Match Your Socks

by michaelsmistress



Category: Alternate Universe - Fandom, Detective - Fandom, Serial Killer - Fandom, Ted Bundy - Fandom, True Crime - Fandom, True Crime Community
Genre: F/M, Smut, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-09-28 04:24:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17175839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michaelsmistress/pseuds/michaelsmistress
Summary: Reader/Ted Bundy. The reader is a homicide detective, investigating a string of disappearing girls that turn out to be murders.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress, chapters will be updated periodically. There is some smut. This is in no way designed to cause offence. Also will not be 100% historically accurate, dates and events aren't accurate, AU

“Ugh this is IMPOSSIBLE!” You sighed, how much longer would you stare at the witness statements, read through the endless list of potential subject names and gaze at the shamefully empty physical evidence box? “Go home, y/n, everyone else has, it’s getting late and in order for us to get this guy we need you on top form.” Rob said, he gave you a look to suggest he wasn’t going to let you argue, sometimes you needed someone to tell you when to stop. Besides, he was right, you’d be no use to anyone if you continued pulling all-nighters and falling asleep in the morning briefing sessions. “Alright, see you tomorrow.” You exclaimed defeatedly, packing your stuff away. “Sure will” Mumbled Rob. It was kind of nice to know he felt the same as you, knowing that you both were kept up at night by the haunting images of the girls faces, the girls you failed to save as the bastard committing the crimes continued to evade you. Whilst slowly walking to the car you realised how exhausted you were and couldn’t deny the overwhelming need to get home and curl up in bed.

After what seemed like forever, you pulled up at your apartment. The lights were still on, so either Ted was still awake, or had fallen asleep in front of the TV again waiting for you. You opened the door quietly in fear of disturbing him. You were right, Ted was slouched on the sofa, breathing heavily with the TV on in the background. He always looked so perfect, you gazed at his wavy brown hair, chiselled jaw bone and angular features, thinking about how vibrantly blue his closed eyes were. You crept into the kitchen and put some toast on, it was too late for a proper meal. You boiled the kettle, despite how tired you felt, you knew full well you were about to make a coffee and sit up for another hour just thinking of anything you may have missed, or anything you could do to solve the case. Sitting next to Ted, you switched channel to the news and ate your toast. The bulletin at the bottom read ‘Police still no closer to catching serial killer, preying on young girls, only advice to the public is to be wary of strangers with a VW bug.’ Your head fell into your hands and you began to cry, this was the most horrendous case you had worked as a homicide detective. You suddenly felt Ted’s hand on your back, stroking your hair. “Long day?” His tone was soothing and comforting, you pulled your hands away from your face and looked at him, even in this state his brilliant smile and piercing eyes knocked the breath out of you, you were infatuated with him. “I’m tired, and stressed and frustrated and I just can’t cope.” You began to cry again. Ted pulled you into him and laid down on the sofa, he let you talk and cry and completely drench his shirt with tears as you cuddled into his chest. It was such a release to be able to tell someone all the feelings that had built up over the previous months. After a while you must have drifted off to sleep, Ted carried you gently, softly laying you down in the bed you shared together. Eyes heavy and barely able to stay open, you just made out Ted’s muscular arm pulling the duvet over you as you drifted off into a heavy, deep sleep. 

Sitting bolt upright, you woke suddenly, your breathing shallow and quick, drenched in sweat. It must have been around 4am. For fuck sake! You knew you’d have to be up in another two hours. Desperately you tried to just roll over and sleep, but the adrenaline pulsing through you kept you awake. These nightmares were the fucking worst, they filled you with pure terror, made you feel sick and unable to get back to resting. Always the same yet always different, you ran through the mountains, hearing someone chasing you, getting closer and closer. You’d run and run until you’d end up at the river. This bit was always the same, you’d stop at the edge of the river, begin to wade in, when a body would float up in front of you. Panicking and hearing your heartbeat in your ears, you would turn the body over to identify it. Slowly you would move the hair out the way and you’d know who it was. It was always you. You saw your twisted and contorted face clearly in pain, your eyes wide and bloodshot. You’d hear a high-pitched scream and then you would wake.


	2. Chapter 2

Washing your face in the sink, trying to wake up and get back to reality and blank out the disgusting images in your head you heard a low deep voice “What the fuck are you doing?” Ugh, great, Ted was awake and clearly wasn’t in a good mood. “Bad dream” You said back bluntly. Turning off the bathroom light and crawling back into bed you couldn’t help but be irritated. Sometimes he could be so aggressive and so insensitive. Lying awake staring into the darkness you felt Ted stirring and moving in the bed. Seething that he was able to sleep so easily whilst you had to suffer, you got more frustrated, letting out an audible groan you rolled over to face away from him. Whilst pulling the duvet over your eyes to block out the start of the summer sunrise and breathing heavily in an attempt to bring sleep back to you, Ted moved closer. Brilliant, now he needs more room, ‘for fuck sake!’ You thought, sighing loudly, attempting to get him to hear. In an instant a hand was wrapped around your neck and an aggressive voice was whispering harshly into your ear. “What have I told you about this fucking attitude?” You swallowed with difficulty as the hand around your throat gripped tighter. Ted was clearly angry. Never knowing if he was playing or serious, but also not caring, was one of the most difficult things about your relationship. The arousal you felt as he moved closer was undeniable, his hand still wrapped around your throat, his body now pressed against your back. Feeling that he was as aroused as you made you whimper. You wanted him, you needed him. Fuck the time, fuck work tomorrow, you had to have him. “I asked you a question.” Ted said roughly, he began to kiss your neck, teeth grazing against you. You tried to answer, but all you could do was moan. He moved his hand from your neck, to between your thighs. Closing your eyes, you let the pleasure take over. He pushed your legs open and moved so he was leaning over you. “I’ll take it that you’re sorry?” He asked, slowly leaning into you, you could feel him pressing against you, “yes, m’sorry” you barely managed to whisper. Without warning, he was inside you, your back arched towards him in pleasure as you felt yourself getting closer and closer. Ted slapped you roughly with one hand, whilst the other was pressing down against your throat. Seconds away from blacking out, you felt the pleasure build to an unbearable state and you let yourself get carried away. Ted followed, he loved making you finish. Releasing his hand from your throat you couldn’t help but gasp for breath. “Good girl” He said, you could hear the smile in his voice. Moving off you, he wrapped his arms round you and pulled you into him. “I love you” You whispered. “I love you too” Ted said, nuzzling into your hair. 

The weeks went by, a further two girls disappeared. The search for the missing girls was taking over your life, you desperately hoped that you would find them alive. But with every passing day, the niggling feeling, the itch in the back of your mind that you tried to ignore became bigger and bigger. Deep down, you knew they were dead, and you felt awful for letting yourself think that. Everyone’s worst fears were confirmed on a Thursday morning, it was around 6am, light, yet drizzling. The sound of the phone ringing woke you up, instantly you knew it was something to do with the developing case, rushing to the phone you answered, “Hello?” “We’ve found them, y/n, dumped in a wooded area. Dog walker called it in. We need you to come to the scene. Rob and the rest of the team are there now. Come via the station for directions.” It was Rob’s assistant “Right, okay. Thanks Mary, see you soon.” You turned and saw Ted sat up in bed, staring at you intently. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He looked worried, his brow furrowed, and he tilted his head, “What’s going on?” He asked, you thought you heard a slight tone of nervousness. “They’ve found the latest missing girls bodies. I’ve got to go in.” The colour in Ted’s face drained away, he looked so genuinely concerned. It was such an innocent reaction, he cared so much. It was hard for the public to not experience some form of emotional response to these kind of high-profile sadistic crimes, committed against people so young and innocent.


	3. Chapter 3

Arriving at the scene, the sheer amount of people was overwhelming, obviously the story had broken to the press. Crossing the crime scene tape provided a sick sense of relief at first, calm away from the barked questions of the reporters, the snapping of lenses and the total confusion brought with blinding flashes. However, with each step forward, the drizzle increased to rain and the panic set in. Feeling your heart begin to beat fast and hard along with the ringing in your ears setting in, ultimately resulted in the undeniable dread building in your chest as you knew you were walking closer to what was bound to be a violent and grotesque scene. Swallowing and breathing deeply, you pushed the intense feelings to the back of your mind. “This is the worst one yet, y/n. I know you’re a good enough detective not to need my warnings but, honestly.. uh..” Rob broke off mid sentence after meeting you. You could see he was pale and sweaty. “What? Please just tell me.” You tried to sound together and reassured of yourself. “He’s decapitated one of them.” Rob said firmly and with pure disgust. Words escaped you. A million thoughts and questions entered your head as you moved forward to the white tent that had been erected over the bodies. Upon seeing the headless corpse laying on the ground with forensic photographers surrounding it, the room began to spin. This was the most grizzly, disgusting and stomach churning case you’d been on. This kind of homicide didn’t happen in this small town. Your stomach cramped, and you had to turn away. “You okay?” Someone asked, their voice seemed far away. “I, I just need a minute.. fucking hell.” Steadying your breathing you focused on the fact this was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s best friend and in that moment, you turned to face the body, and did your job.

Pulling into your apartment around 8:30, you noticed Ted’s car wasn’t there. Thinking nothing of it you went inside and let the events of the day consume your thoughts. The girls had been identified, families notified. No weapon had been recovered at the scene along with no physical evidence. In the shower, you sobbed, so beyond angry you wanted to scream, all you could see when you closed your eyes were the bodies of the girls, mutilated and dumped. The images made you physically sick and you decided to just crawl into bed and try and rest. You hardly slept and every time you did, you dreamt of finding the girls head in your sink, or in your wardrobe. Every time you saw it you’d scream so loudly and wake up crying. It was around 3 in the morning when you realised Ted still wasn’t back. As guilty as you felt for not being more concerned, you were mostly disappointed that yet again, as on so many occasions, he wasn’t there when you needed him. It was 4:37 exactly when Ted came in. You knew this because you heard him crashing through the front door and your eyes flew open staring at the alarm clock next to your bed. “Y/N, I’m HOME!” You heard him yell, in a joking and clearly drunk manner. Furious, that he had woken you up and that he was clearly wasted, you laid in bed pretending as hard as you could to be asleep as he clattered round the room, eventually getting into bed. It must have worked, he must have thought you were sleeping because he whispered “You wouldn’t like what I’ve been doing tonight y/n.” in your ear darkly. ‘Brilliant.’ You thought, as you felt your eyes starting to well up behind your closed eyelids. He’s been sleeping around again. Feeling your heart break, you laid awake until your alarm clock went off.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day at work seemed endless. Having no sleep was really beginning to take its toll on you and when 5pm came you practically sprinted out the office relieved to be free for the weekend. Recently you’d done so much over time you’d barely had a minute to yourself but exhaustion was taking over so you knew you’d earned this weekend off. Arriving home, you planned to confront Ted about last night and demand to know what he’d been doing. Opening the door and bracing yourself for the inevitable argument you took a deep breath and prepared to have it out. “I made dinner! Mac and Cheese, your favourite.” Ted smiled, in an unusually good mood. It threw you off, and you stumbled on your words “Oh, right yeah, thanks.” He took your bag from you and pulled you into an almost unbearably tight hug. Trying not to let yourself get carried away and to remain angry was so hard when he was so sweet. Over dinner (which was amazing, Ted was a brilliant cook) you braved it and brought up last night. “So, what happened last night then that I wouldn’t approve of?” You said bluntly, not breaking eye-contact as you tried to sense his reaction. Without blinking, Ted started to laugh, “This isn’t funny Ted. If you’ve been sleeping around again we’re done. I told you this last time.” You felt your voice beginning to crack and your eyes start to sting. Dealing with confrontation at work was in the job description but in your personal life you couldn’t bare it. “Jesus, I think you’re over tired, let me explain before you get into a state for Christ sake” Ted said, still laughing. You snapped, controlling your temper wasn’t a strong suit of yours. “Yeah, yeah I fucking am over tired. Do you know why? Because dealing with a fucking psychopath who abducts and kills women is exhausting, trying to catch the sick fuck is taking up all of my time, and when I come home to sleep and then you come in fucking yelling is also fucking exhausting and when you tell me you’ve been doing something I wouldn’t like, it’s not exactly easy to go back to sleep. If you are fucking around then at least have the courtesy to stay out all night next time so I can actually get some sleep.” The words poured out your mouth without you actually knowing what you were saying. Ted’s face dropped, and he looked like you’d slapped him. You looked down, staring intently at the plate, it was silent for what seemed like hours. Finally, Ted spoke softly “I’m sorry, I know you’ve been incredibly stressed with work, let me explain.” You looked at him and had tears in your eyes, ‘don’t fucking cry!’ You thought to yourself, “Last night, me and some people from work got drunk and we decided to smoke a couple of joints, that’s all. I was partly joking and was very drunk and high and I knew in work mode you wouldn’t exactly approve, that’s all I meant” You hadn’t noticed the smell of weed on him, but it did make sense, and if you were honest you didn’t want to push it further, because if he was lying, you didn’t really want the truth. “Sorry I snapped.” Laughing, Ted said “It’s okay, I know your mouth has a mind of its own when you get angry, now, let me run you a bath.” He left the table and kissed you on the forehead before heading to the bathroom. The bath was ridiculously hot and bubbly as you liked it, whilst laying in there Ted brought you a glass of wine and sat on the edge of the bath rubbing your shoulders. That evening he carried you into bed and you cuddled and talked about plans for the weekend before eventually drifting off to sleep. 

The weekend flew by, on Saturday you’d slept in so late and spent the rest of the day doing very little, before going out for drinks with Ted in the evening. The Sunday you’d got up and went for a walk through the woods together, before coming home, cooking dinner and watching a dreadful horror film and getting an early night. Spending time with him was your favourite thing to do and part of you hated how dependent on him you were. Monday morning came around way too fast, groaning as your alarm went off you sat up and started getting ready. Sitting down at your desk to go through case files again the phone rang and Rob answered. You were so focused on your work when Rob screamed “YES!!!!!” You practically fell off the chair. “What the hell?! What is it?!” You asked, trying to regain composure. “We’ve got one!!! A real actual living witness!! She said last Friday afternoon she got picked up by a man using the name ‘Ted’ driving a VW bug and he’d tried to abduct her but she got away. She was too scared to come forward at first but she felt guilty after seeing all the news reports. She’s going to come down here this afternoon and give a statement and hopefully help us get a composite sketch done!” Rob was absolutely ecstatic, and even though you tried not to get ahead of yourself, you couldn’t help but get excited too. ‘We’ve got you now, bastard’ You thought. The witness came to the station and was clearly and understandably shaken, she described the horrifying events of Friday afternoon and gave a detailed physical description which lead to a sketch being drawn up. You were practically insane with excitement when you sat down with Rob and the team to go over the facts. “Right, we’ve got the name of Ted, he drives a VW Bug which, the witness today confirmed it is tanned in colour, he’s slightly tanned, with brown curly hair and blue eyes, age ranges from 25-35, 5’10-6’0. Hopefully, with this information we can give the press something they can use to bring forward witnesses and possibly get a line-up for the victim to see and see if she can pick him out.” Everyone was passing round the sketch looking at it, to see if they could recognise the man. “Hey, y/n, this kind of looks like your Ted!” Adam one of the senior detectives said laughing. Laughing, but also slightly irritated he would insinuate your Ted was a kidnapper and murderer, you jokingly agreed. Although the more you looked at the picture, and thought about all the facts, you felt a strange sinking feeling in your chest, and your stomach cramped. Knowing never to ignore instinct, but feeling entirely stupid you planned to cautiously ask Ted what he was doing on Friday afternoon, just so his alibi would give you peace of mind and get rid of this ridiculous and absurd feeling you had.


	5. Chapter 5

Ted didn’t get home until half 10. He said he’d been working late on some paper he had due. You made him some dinner and put the TV on and had the usual conversations about how your days were. Feeling uneasy and guilty you were shifting in the chair unable to sit casually. “What’s got you so fidgety?” Ted smirked at you, before getting up and taking his plate to the sink where he stood with his back to you washing it. “Oh, nothing, I mean, we have a witness, a girl came forward to say she was abducted last Friday and we think, well we’re almost certain it’s the same guy who’s murdering all these young women, so I don’t know. I’m just excited and a bit unable to sit still I guess..” You thought, in fact you were convinced you saw Ted stiffen and his muscles clench, but only for a split second before relaxing. “Well, I mean excited is the wrong word, I can imagine how odd that sounds.. I’m not exactly excited that any of this has happened, but I mean, excited we’re close to catching him now. We only need one more piece of information, one more slip-up, witness.. anything and I’m sure this whole case will come together.” You backtracked, trying not to sound like a total weirdo for being excited over this, no wonder he clenched up when you talked like such a freak. Murderers don’t excite normal people. “No, I get what you mean.” Ted said, his back still facing you. It sounded like he was talking through gritted teeth. Walking up to him and putting your arms round him and into his pockets, you adopted a joking tone, “So Mr Bundy, what were you doing Friday afternoon? I could arrest you, y’know, the victim said the suspect is called Ted and they drive the same car as you! Should I get the cuffs out?” As soon as you’d started talking, you realised how ridiculous this whole thing was, how stupid your suspicions were, there was no possible way Ted had anything to do with this, it was laughable. And you did laugh, hysterically, at the whole possibility and situation. “That won’t be necessary officer.” He turned to face you and he grabbed your wrists playfully, he was sweating slightly and even though he was laughing, the way he was talking sounded pained, like there was a lot of effort going into sounding normal. “You okay Teddy?” You said, staring into his deep blue eyes. “Yeah, tired.” He bent down and kissed you slowly, before dragging you to the sofa where he laid down, pulling you on top of him. “Anyway, Friday, I told you. I was with people from work. Good enough?” He sounded quite annoyed. “Ted you know I was joking don’t you?” A feeling had settled in your stomach, twisting and sinking, unbearable guilt. Sitting up abruptly and pushing you off him, Ted looked into your eyes with an expression you hadn’t seen before, was it fear? There was something else, like something was there just below the surface waiting to bubble out, but his eyes were simultaneously empty. “Yeah, well it wasn’t fucking funny. You clearly think so highly of me. If you’re going to accuse me of stuff like that just come out and say it don’t pussyfoot about.” He spat, before getting up and storming off into the bedroom. ‘Nice one y/n! Way to go!’ You thought to yourself in disgust.

After leaving it half an hour, you decided to go and see Ted. You brought him a beer. He was sat up in bed reading a book about law, but he seemed to be staring through the book rather than at it. You sat on the bed next to him and started stroking his soft curly hair. “I’m sorry I upset you, I really was joking! It was stupid, it’s just the ‘Ted’ we’re looking for, sounds like a detailed description of you. The reason I was laughing was because of how ridiculous the whole thing is! It wasn’t serious, and I know I should know better than to try and make jokes, especially about murderers and I’m really sorry. I bought you a beer, truce?” You blurted the apology out and smiled tentatively. Ted turned to face you, his eyes looked big and sad, almost like a puppy, gut-wrenching guilt washed over you again. He spoke softly, “Its okay, I know you were joking, I’ve just been stressed recently and in a bad mood and angry, I shouldn’t have been so sensitive.” He leant in and kissed you, before taking the beer and drinking it. “I’d like to see you cuff me anyway” He looked at you and winked, “Is that a challenge?” You said, feeling the competitiveness rise in you. Being a woman working as a homicide detective had brought so many challenges from men. ‘Too sensitive’ ‘Too emotional’ ‘Not strong enough: mentally or physically!’ had been just some of a few comments made to you throughout your training. It had only made you more competitive and determined to prove the old white men wrong. “It might be, what are you going to do about it?” Ted said tauntingly, before putting his beer down and without a moment’s notice, pinning you down and tickling you. Half laughing half screaming and squirming round the bed, you could barely breathe as Ted didn’t let up. “You shouldn’t act so tough if you can’t take it!” He said laughing at you. You managed to get off the bed and ran through into the living room, where grabbing your work bag you got your cuffs out. Laughing and trying to get your breath back, you started back towards the bedroom. Walking slowly, you suddenly heard this noise from behind you and saw arms appear in front of you, one hand coming over your mouth, the other around your waist. ‘Dammit!’ You thought, obviously he had hidden in the airing cupboard. You scuffled and using a mixture of all your restraint techniques, self-defence, and some underhand tactics such as biting Ted’s shoulder and tickling him in return, you managed to cuff him, hands behind his back, flat on the ground. Almost manically laughing, you triumphantly said “I win!! You lose” and began to taunt him. He rolled onto his back and sat up, arms still pinned behind him. “I should get used to this.” He said quietly, seeming almost sad. “What?” “I said I could get used to this, y’know, being cuffed by a beautiful woman.” He flashed you a brilliant smile and you leant forward slowly and kissed him. You sat up talking and laughing until 2:30am, when upon realising the time and cursing at how late it was, you got into bed together. You were curled into Ted, the sound of his breathing sending you to sleep. Eyes heavy, you were nearly gone when he whispered, “You don’t really think I could do things that awful do you?” Swallowing hard, and feeling horrid you replied “No, of course I don’t. I know who you are.” You had to fight back tears, as you laid there thinking how awful you were. No, no. He couldn’t do anything like that. Feeling like you had to make it up to him, you kissed his neck, cheeks and all over his face. “I love you too” Ted said sleepily, chuckling to himself. You laid down and for the first time in months, had a dreamless night sleep, if only for a few hours.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day at work was ridiculously busy. It seemed everyone in the state knew a Ted with a VW bug. Answering the phones, chasing leads, excluding suspects, taking statements, the day was like a whirlwind and by the end of it you felt completely frazzled. Ted was out again when you got home, this was becoming a more frequent occurrence. There was never a really good excuse for why he was out so late. For someone who liked to talk he said very little or became very short in his answers and changed the subject incredibly quickly whenever it was something he didn’t like. The evening passed slowly and without Ted there to talk to, the pain began to come back, the horror of the past few months was fresh in your mind again. The apartment was cold and dark without Ted in it. You decided to get into bed. Leaving a note for Ted explaining there was dinner in the microwave, you got a glass of water and headed for bed. It was 1:45am when the phone rang. You jumped, you hadn’t been asleep, just lying awake staring at the ceiling deep in thought. “Hello?” you sounded more confused than you had intended to. “It’s me.” a sheepish voice said from the other end of the phone. “Ted? What the fuck are you doing? Where are you?” “Don’t get mad please?” he sounded scared, “I’m not mad I’m worried about you Teddy, what’s happening?” “Promise me y/n, promise me you won’t get angry?” He was almost pleading. Your stomach dropped, “I promise, just tell me where you are.” “I’ve been pulled over by the police and arrested, they say I’m drunk driving, they’re full of shit, but that’s not the point, they asked to search the car. I didn’t want them to, but they did it anyway and they found some stuff, I have an explanation for all of it, but, I don’t know, please just come and help me.” He sounded so frantic, all you wanted to do was run to him and protect him from whatever was happening. “Okay firstly, they shouldn’t have searched your car without a warrant. Secondly, whatever it is they’ve found, you’ll need a good excuse for Ted, but don’t panic okay? I’m coming down now. I love you.” You got dressed in a frenzy and were out the door in a matter of minutes. In the car, you had time to think about what was actually happening. Why had he been out so late anyway? It was a Tuesday night, he had work the next day? What in the fuck had been found in his car that had warranted him being arrested? The more you thought about this, the more uneasy you felt as you drove through the darkness towards the police station. 

Outside the station you sat in the car debating whether you should just drive away and not deal with any of the inevitable shit storm that was coming. Finally, you took a deep breath and stormed out of the car. “Where’s Ted?” You said to the night shift receptionist. You thought her name was Jane but having only seen her when leaving practically zombified you’d forgot. “Oh, hi y/n. He’s being interviewed now.” You just about exploded. “INTERVIEWED? Are you fucking KIDDING me?? Interviewed for what?! Has he been offered a lawyer? Oh, I bet he hasn’t. Did they get a warrant to search his car? No, no they fucking didn’t. Who is the senior officer on this deadbeat shift who CLEARLY doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Jane, or whatever her name was, looked stunned. “Don’t just blink at me FUCKING FIND SOMEONE” You screamed, barely aware of what you were actually saying. Just at that moment, Rob came into the hallway, from a closed off room. Confused, angry and tired, you burst into tears. “What the HELL is going on, why are you here? What is going on and when can I see Ted?” You put on your most authoritative voice. “Y/N, we need to talk, let’s get a coffee and go and talk somewhere?” Rob’s voice was soothing, overly soothing, like he was trying to comfort you. “No, fucking tell me what is happening. Right now.” You weren’t giving in. “Y/N please. This isn’t something I’m taking lightly.” “Fine. I’ll talk to you if I can talk to Ted first.” You stared at Rob, feeling like a brat your face went red as you thought about how you were talking to your colleague and friend. “I’m afraid that won’t be poss-“ Cutting him off you started yelling, your voice getting more shrill with each word “EXCUSE ME? WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE CHARGES YOU’RE HOLDING HIM ON? ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE??? YOU HAVEN’T GOT HIM A LAWYER, YOU DIDN’T HAVE A WARRANT, THERE BETTER BE A DAMN GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS ROB OR I SWEAR TO GOD.” You were shaking with rage, scared that if Rob took another step towards you, you might punch him. “Y/N PLEASE, please, I really don’t want to do this like this, don’t make me tell you this way. Please can we just talk. Please.” Rob’s face was completely white, he was begging you. Realising that this was probably incredibly serious, you eventually agreed to talk to him. He made you a coffee and brought you into a small room with just the two of you. “I’m so sorry.” He said, wringing his hands and unable to look at you. Whatever this was, it was going to be bad.

“I shouldn’t be doing this, but I’m going to tell you what’s happening, and show you some pictures I probably shouldn’t, off the record. We will have to interview you at some point. And you can’t have anything to do with this case anymore. I’m sorry. I’m just going to talk, stop me if you don’t want to hear anymore okay?” Rob paused and looked at you. You nodded, unable to speak. “Oh God okay.. so after Adam made that comment about the sketch and the car looking like your Ted, I just had a hunch. I know a hunch isn’t anything evidential. So I sat on it. But then, I had a call from someone who works with Ted, saying he wanted to remain anonymous, but that we should investigate Ted Bundy. Again, I thought it wasn’t going to be anything. But then tonight, a patrol car saw someone swerving across both lanes. They pulled them over and it was Ted. He was so angry, and the detectives asked him to get out the car. They cuffed him, and a detective shone a light into the car, where they saw a large amount of blood splattered on the passenger seat. They arrested him and searched the car. Finding a bag with a ski mask, tights with eye holes cut in, a crow bar, screw driver, ice pick, and various other things. It didn’t look great. Then in the boot, they noticed a pair of earrings, that were so distinct they realised they were from the girl we found decapitated. So, with the blood, the bag, earrings, the car and physical description matching that of the suspect we have from the victim we are arresting him on suspicion of kidnapping and possible murder. We can’t charge him yet, but we can hold and charge him with drink driving as we build the case against him. The victim from Friday is coming down tomorrow morning so we can see if she can pick him out of a line-up. No, we didn’t have a warrant, but this amount of evidence, it just couldn’t wait. I am so sorry.” For what seemed like eternity you sat in silence. You wanted to scream from the top of your lungs that this wasn’t true, that it was all bullshit, but all you could do was sit there. Rob showed you a picture of what they’d found in Ted’s car. You tried desperately to think of an explanation, but to you it just looked like what the industry would call a ‘kill kit.’ You were interviewed by two detectives you didn’t really know, to ensure there wasn’t a conflict of interest. They asked ridiculous questions and it got to around 5am, when you were finally allowed to see Ted. You ran to him and threw your arms around him. “I’m sorry” He mumbled in your ear. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I know you haven’t Ted. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine I promise, I promise you.” That was the last moment you had with him before your life changed forever.


	7. Chapter 7

It didn’t take long for the case against Ted to come together. He was soon being charged with murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and burglary. There were days where you were convinced the whole thing was a dream. This couldn’t possibly be happening to you, there was no way. You couldn’t watch the TV, you couldn’t go to work, you couldn’t leave the apartment, you just sat and waited by the phone. Whenever Ted called as bizarre as it seemed you felt so free from it all. You never talked about the case except when he was angry or proclaiming his innocence (which he did frequently), so it gave you an hour a day to just escape reality. Everyone else who called or visited wouldn’t shut up about it and it was becoming draining to even see your closest friends. The apartment was a state, you were a state, and with every passing day you felt closer to losing it completely. At the trial, all you could do was sit staring at your hands, believing wholeheartedly he was innocent and thinking this whole event would be something you would be able to laugh about when you were old and grey. The verdict was read and the jury found Ted guilty as charged. The room started spinning and you heard someone screaming. As you were being escorted out of the courtroom you realised it was you screaming, you began to struggle to breathe and started shaking uncontrollably. As soon as you were outside you collapsed onto the floor and sobbed, you felt like you’d been punched in the chest. How could this have happened? There was absolutely no way Ted was responsible. Your whole life you’d believed in the judicial system and when you needed it, it had failed you. What was the point? Ted was allowed 10 minutes with you before he was taken away. He was cuffed the entire time and all you could do was wrap your arms around his neck and hang from him, crying hysterically. Ted didn’t say anything, but he kissed you on the cheek before he left and smiled at you. 

It was a week later, when the news broke, that Ted had confessed to the murders. You vomited every time you thought about it too much. There weren’t words to describe how broken and betrayed you felt. You’d never believed in souls, but it felt like yours had been torn into a thousand pieces. The sad feeling in your chest was a raw burning sensation, like an exposed nerve, yet you felt this fury building in you like an insatiable hunger. You went round in an endless cycle of being curled up on the sofa sobbing for hours to cursing Ted out and wanting to punch something. The phone interrupted one of your crying sessions. Covered in snot and barely able to open your swollen eyes, you picked up the phone. “Y/N. It’s Rob. Look, I’m really sorry, but I need to see you. Can I come over?” your heart sank a little because it wasn’t Ted on the phone, which made you feel guilty so you started crying again. “Okay. I have to go, see you soon.” You barely got the words out before having to hang up. You washed your face and stared at yourself in the mirror. Feeling ridiculously pathetic you began getting angry at yourself for being this way. At least you weren’t dead. At least you’d made it out alive. Everyone goes through break-ups, it’s just life. Granted most people don’t break up because their other half is a murderer, who’d watched their partner investigate and cry over the very victims they had been killing. Pulling on a clean jumper and putting your hair up you tried to appear somewhat in control of yourself when you heard a soft knock at the door. You let Rob in and made coffee. Attempting to act normal didn’t go so well, “Um.. I know, I mean, I can tell you’re not great, but are you okay? You look kind of…” Rob stumbled on his words, “Ugh, I’m sorry, trying to pretend I’m okay and have got my shit together is draining and also impossible.” You sighed, feeling yourself about to cry again, “I’m sorry if I start crying please ignore it” You tried to laugh, but it came out like a cackle and you suddenly felt incredibly lightheaded and giggly. Trying to keep the hysterical laughter in for the sake of Rob who already looked slightly disturbed, you asked “So, what did you come over here for?” He was looking at you, and underneath his apparent concern, you could see he was deeply, deeply sad. “I don’t mean to, um.. you know I’m not good with comforting people.. I don’t want to make any of this worse.. but.. I don’t know, well, a reporter ran a story in the paper this morning, and I wanted to be the one you found out from.. because I can’t say how sorry I am, and whoever is responsible for this will be dealt with accordingly.. I think you should just read it. I’m sorry.” He couldn’t look at you as he passed you a newspaper. 

“BLINDED BY LOVE: BUNDY’S GIRL IS LEAD DETECTIVE WHO FAILED TO CATCH HIM!”   
The headline screamed at you. You kept reading the article, you couldn’t stop yourself, but each sentence made you feel more and more sick. Skimming the article, several sentences jumped out at you. ‘In her statement, she said Bundy had demonstrated aggression towards her multiple times’ ‘Upon hearing about the discovery of bodies Bundy apparently turned ‘ghostly pale’ is it any wonder he was disturbed by the fact his play things had been discovered?’ ‘Bundy tensed up and appeared visibly shaken when being told one of his victims had come forward, how stupid is this detective?’ ‘He would disappear for lengthy times’ Perhaps the quote that cut the deepest was ‘This woman, dubbed ‘Bundy’s babe’ was not only clearly inadequate in her job as a homicide detective, but also aided the disgusting and vile Bundy, by telling him case secrets and failing to realise he was behind the very murders she investigated! She should be charged as an accomplice in the murders! Her clear ignorance, blinkered view on life and complete disregard for clear evidence result in the conclusion that she was clearly playing into Bundy’s band, working with not against him. Ted would say 'jump' and this pathetic girl would say 'how high.'’ Each word was like a fresh slap round the face. You sat, stunned, feeling totally sickened at the suggestion. Furious at the fact your statement had been a) taken out of context and distorted and b) leaked to the press. However, the worst feeling was the feeling you had that deep down you knew the press was right. Regardless of how they had twisted your words and chewed up and spat out their own version, there was no denying that you had missed clear and obvious signs, because you were so in love with Ted. “Say something, please?” You were unaware Rob was even still there, you’d been sat thinking for a long time. Thinking about all the things that should have alerted you to what Ted was. “What do you want me to say? It's right. I didn’t say those things in my statement no, and they shouldn’t have even got that statement, but it’s true. If I was a better detective several girls wouldn’t be dead.” You felt completely hollowed out, empty, like someone had gouged your chest out like an apple core. “Don’t even say that!! Not for a second. That is not true. Y/N I know you, you are a force to be reckoned with, I’m not good at this comforting stuff, but no-one saw this coming, I didn’t even believe it when someone had given us his full name! He clearly was very manipulative of the situation and of you and you shouldn’t feel guilt for that.” Harshly you snapped back “He NEVER manipulated me, don’t even say that. How could you say that, that is NOT Ted.” You began to cry and your voice was getting high pitched. “I’m sorry, I didn’t, I don’t.. I’m sorry, I told you I’m not good at this comforting thing, I didn’t mean to upset you, I just meant it’s not your fault.” Rob looked tired and feeling like you may have slightly overreacted you took a deep breath and apologised. “Thing is y/n, God I really don’t want to do this. I think you know.. I mean, you understand right, you can’t keep your job? I don’t want to do this, and maybe in a couple of years when this has calmed down-” “What? Rob please don’t do this, I, I can’t lose this too” Tears stinging your already sore face, you stared at Rob, who looked like a deer in headlights himself. This was not a situation either of you were comfortable with. “I am so, so sorry. I really am, it’s just, this story is huge y/n, there’s press outside right now. No-one in the team believes what the press said. We know you are a truly brilliant detective, but, you have to understand how this looks, we need to seem competent- not that you aren’t, but, to the public, we can’t afford much more scrutiny, we’ve had enough these past couple of months, and, you get it right? Ted Bundy’s girlfriend the homicide detective, dealing with the families of the girls he’s killed? Doesn’t look great does it.” In that moment your crying for Ted stopped and you became blinded by rage, he had taken everything from the people around him. The lives of innocent girls most importantly, your happiness together and now your career, which you loved more than anything. “That fucking bastard!” Through gritted teeth you continued to curse him out whilst pacing the apartment. Rob left after a few hours, you had talked and reminisced and he said he’d always be there for you, you hugged him and thanked him for everything. He’d been so good to you since you started your career and throughout this whole ordeal. You spent the evening packing away Ted’s things, the anger towards him had faded slightly and you promised yourself you would only keep one box and the rest you would throw away. Whilst tidying and packing his things you looked round the apartment and all you could think of was how empty it was. It was haunted with the tinted ruined memories of you and Ted, and it always would be. You looked at the bed you had shared together, the sofa you’d cuddled on, the kitchen side he would always pick you up and sit you on. Your relationship had been pretty much perfect. Yet now it was smothered with evil and tarnished. You felt so dirty for having these beautiful memories, so disgusted with yourself for loving a murderer. Unable to bear it you decided to continue packing up all your basic belongings, because you knew you couldn’t stay another day in the mausoleum of your past happiness with the press and public peering in at you like you were some sort of freak. The next day, you made some calls and found a one bedroom flat around 3 hours away. Not thinking twice, you left your life behind.


	8. Chapter 8

The months went by and gradually you began to rebuild your life. A new haircut, new clothes, new job. Wasn’t that the way people got through breakups? The first few weeks were the hardest. Somehow, you’d managed to pick another small town where everyone knew everyone, so you had to recite the same story to everyone you met who pointed out you were new in town. “Yes, I’ve just moved for work!” You’d say politely, getting more and more frustrated each time. You’d taken a job in a call centre and the mind-numbing boredom was in stark contrast to what you were used to. It gave you too much time to think about him. But, it was money and a job which you desperately needed. Every day, you reminded yourself that you didn’t have to live with the pain, you got to live with the pain. Getting to live, regardless how hard it was, was more than the young victims would ever get. After a while, you found yourself thinking about Ted less, you pushed the whole experience into the furthest part of your mind and vowed not to open that can of worms again. You’d accepted you would never be the same and had begun to come to terms with that. Life seemed to be on the up, you’d made some good friends through work and even if you used them as a distraction you were actually having fun. The only downside was that sleep was still evading you. You had horrific violent nightmares that kept you awake for hours. It was only after falling asleep driving that you decided to go to the doctors who prescribed you sleeping tablets and anti-anxiety pills. 

It was Christmas eve and actually snowing. The small town looked picturesque as you walked home after having a meal and some drinks with a group of friends. After getting into the flat you tucked yourself up in bed with a book and another glass of wine. You took your sleeping tablets even though you weren’t supposed to after drinking, but the idea of being asleep for a long time was appealing especially as you’d have to deal with family tomorrow. The loudest noise woke you, ‘what in the ever-loving fuck?’ You thought. You were so disorientated and confused, barely able to open your eyes you reached to turn on the lamp by your bedside table. Fumbling at the switch you began to panic when you realised you could hear footsteps inside the flat. Was this a dream? It had to be a dream, no-one could break into a flat on the second story. The tablets and alcohol had made your head fuzzy and you couldn’t think coherently. Getting more frantic and stressed at your inability to wake up and turn on a fucking light, you finally managed it. The room lit up and you saw him standing at the foot of your bed. Sitting bolt upright and going dizzy you said “Wow, these tablets are really fucking me up.” Your voice slurred and you began rubbing your eyes. You heard a throaty laugh followed by “I’m flattered you think you’d hallucinate seeing me, what on earth have you been taking?” Immediately after hearing him speak, you knew it was real. You sat frozen, feeling utterly terrified. “Ted? What the hell? How did you get in here? How did you even find here? What’s going on?” Your voice was shaky and you daren’t look up at him, you felt like a coward, but you knew if you looked at him you would feel all the things you had tried so desperately to forget. Another thought was becoming louder and louder in your head, ‘is he going to kill me?’ He sat down on the bed and you could feel his eyes on you. “Nice to see you too.” He said sarcastically. He explained to you that he’d been planning his escape for months. He’d waited until there was barely any guards in the prison due to Christmas and he’d climbed into a light fitting in the ceiling and crawled to a vent in the wardens office before kicking it out and walking out through the front door. He didn’t tell you how he found you and you didn’t want to ask again. “I came to see you. I don’t know what I expected but maybe, we could talk?” He spoke using his softest voice and you felt yourself desperately wanting to be close to him. “We can’t talk if you won’t say anything though.” He sounded slightly annoyed. “I don’t know what you want me to say” Your voice was timid and quiet, this was the first time you had actually been afraid of him. “Look at me” You didn’t move, “y/n, please, look at me.” He leaned forward and reached to tilt your head up to look at him, you felt him touch you and you almost shrieked and threw yourself backwards, “Please don’t hurt me!” You cried. It had been a totally involuntary reaction and Ted’s eyes were wide in shock. You couldn’t look at him because you’d started to cry and began feeling incredibly exposed and vulnerable. Slowly and gently Ted moved closer to you again, he was less than a foot away from you. “y/n, I would never hurt you. I’m sorry. I just had to see you. I don’t want to scare you.” He whispered quietly. You looked up, eyes filled with tears to see him gazing down at you, his eyes were big and puppy-like, as they always were when he was sad. Slowly, he began leaning into you and he kissed you so softly and so gently. At first you were too scared to move, and your breathing became shallow, but after a moment your fear melted away and you found yourself kissing him back.

Your hands were shaking as you moved them to his neck, gently caressing him. You felt his soft hair that had definitely got longer, you held onto him so tightly. In that moment you never wanted to let him go. He was so gentle with you, which was unlike him. You concluded he was probably trying not to scare you again. You moved down the bed and he got on top of you. He kissed your neck, all the way down your stomach, your thighs, teasing you. You pulled him back to kiss him again and you felt him begin to touch between your legs. Moaning you pulled at his hair roughly and bit his lip. Just when you couldn’t take anymore, he was in you, and a guttural moan came up his throat into your ear. You let yourself get lost in the pleasure and be solely in the moment. In the back of your mind you knew this would have serious repercussions, but you didn’t care. You loved him and knew that couldn’t be changed, no matter how much you wanted it to. Afterwards, you didn’t say anything for hours. You knew he was awake, and he knew you were, but neither of you wanted to ruin the perfect moment, just lying there in his arms. You looked up at him and saw how rugged he was. His hair was wild and untamed and he’d grown a lot of facial hair, he seemed skinnier too. The more you laid there, the more you had this growing sense of terror. He was an escaped convict. They would know he was missing. Would you get arrested for harbouring a fugitive? What exactly was the plan now? What the fuck had you just done? A convicted murderer who ruined your career and life, breaks into your flat and you just slept with him. Beginning to freak out you sat up. “What’s wrong?” Ted asked. “HA! What’s wrong? Do you have any idea what this is going to do to me?” You were nearly hysterical, “What am I supposed to do? You can’t stay here, you shouldn’t be here. I should call the police but..” You broke off feeling yourself beginning to cry again. “But what?” Ted asked, sitting up, and staring at you intently. “But I can’t” You sobbed. “I can’t Ted, because I love you. I can’t do the right thing because I love you. This is toxic, you’ve got hooks in me so deeply that I can’t.” He didn’t say anything. The phone ringing made you actually scream, Ted put his hand over your mouth, “Jesus fucking Christ y/n it’s just the phone!” He snarled at you, he was clearly on edge. He dropped his hand and you ran to answer the phone. “Hello? Who is this?” “Oh thank god, y/n it’s Rob. We just got word that Ted escaped. We’ve no idea where he is, but I just wanted to check you were safe. We’ve got check points set up and we’ll catch him again don’t worry.” You couldn’t speak. The reality of what was happening was beginning to set in. “y/n? Is everything okay?” “Um. Yeah. I’m fine!” Your voice was not convincing and Rob knew it. “Y/N I need you to just answer yes or no, is he there?” You were silent. “I’m sending local police and I’ll be there as soon as I can.” You were trembling, what had you done? “Okay.” You stuttered and put the phone down. 

Ted came out the bedroom and stared at you. “Who was that?” His tone was flat. “Just Rob” You were attempting to stay calm and controlled. “Did you tell him I’m here?” Ted demanded. “I said did you fucking tell him I was here?!” He snapped and stormed towards you. You froze on the spot unable to run away. “No! I didn’t tell him” You whimpered as he got close to you. “You fucking liar” The way he said it was chilling. Suddenly you were thrown onto the floor by Ted smacking you round the face so hard you’d been knocked off balance and your ears were ringing. Seeing stars and feeling dizzy you tried to sit up. He kicked you in the chest and you fell flat back down again. Lying on the floor dazed you could hear Ted rushing around the flat, you could hear him emptying cupboards and tossing things around. Your mouth tasted metallic and coppery and sitting up you spat out a large amount of blood onto the floor. Ted stopped moving around. He came over to you. “Get up.” “What?” “I said get the fuck up.” He pulled you by your hair into a standing position. The expression on his face was petrifying. His eyes were cold and empty, he looked more like an animal than a human. You realised this was what you had seen in him so many times, this was the monster just below the surface. “Ted, please” You whispered, “I’m sorry, I love you, please don’t kill me.” You were nearly begging. He released your hair, and slowly he began to stroke your face. You took in a sharp intake of breath and you could feel your heart about to burst out of your chest, you were so afraid. “I’m sorry.” Ted muttered, almost like he was too ashamed to let you hear it. “Help me?” He asked, taking your face in his hands and standing only an inch away from you. “What?” “Help me, please?” He was grovelling, but his face was manic. “How?” “Give me your car, some money, you must have some of my old clothes? Or come with me? We can run away! We can move abroad and live our life together like we were supposed to darling, just us two, forever.” You stared into his blue eyes searching for an answer. You pictured it. It would be like Bonnie and Clyde, the two of you driving away into the darkness, on the run, leaving behind everything and everyone you’d ever known. And you wanted to. You wanted to say yes and just do it more than you’d ever wanted anything. But then reality set in and you knew there was no way you could do that. “Ted I’m so sorry. I can’t do that.” “Fuck you then, but I am leaving and you aren’t going to stop me.” He spat the words out with such venom as he begun rummaging through another cupboard. His sudden changes in mood were giving you whiplash and you couldn’t bare the pain in your chest. “Teddy, you know I can’t let you leave” You said, feeling your heartbreak once and for all. “Well what are you going to do about it?” He squared up to you and you felt tiny. Frantically trying to think of something to say or do you stood looking evil in the face. He stepped closer towards you, “Don’t take another step Ted or I swear to God” Adrenaline was pumping through you now and you felt invincible. “You’ll what? You’ll fucking what?” He yelled at you, before lunging at you and grabbing you by the throat so forcefully you couldn’t move. Thrashing against him, you desperately tried to get free of him. Your attempts to breathe became more and more frantic and feeble. Your lungs felt like they were going to burst and the pressure in your head made you see stars before finally you blacked out. 

You woke up in bed. Unsure whether the whole experience had been a dream you felt your face, where Ted had hit you, you could feel the swelling and stinging as you touched it. You didn’t know if he had left, but you spotted the car keys on your desk so assumed unless he’d left on foot, that he was still in the flat. Pure terror washed over you and you jumped off the bed and looked in the wardrobe for a small black box you’d buried at the bottom in amongst a pile of clothes. Finding the box you hastily opened it and pulled out your pistol. Hearing Ted swearing and coming towards the bedroom you hid just behind the door, so when he opened it, you could jump out and trap him at gun point. He came in, made a dash for the car keys before you yelled “DON’T” He turned on the spot, eyes wild with rage, until he saw the gun. A flash of fear came across his face. “Please Ted. Just don’t” “Are you serious? You’re actually going to shoot me?” He almost laughed at you. You couldn’t bare this. Voice trembling and tears streaming rapidly from your eyes you answered, “Not if you just stay there.” “You know I have to leave. I can’t go back to jail, y/n, I can’t. Please don’t make me. If you love me you won’t make me go back.” His voice changed, he sounded so hurt. You felt his words, they hurt you, gnawed away at any healing you’d done over the past few months. “That’s not fair. Don’t even say that. I loved you more than anything in the entire world Ted, and you threw it away. You threw everything away. I would have done anything for you, anything. You betrayed us, not me.” He paused before saying “If it was you where I am, I’d let you go in a heartbeat.” “Stop it, just stop it! You don’t mean any of this!” You were becoming hysterical and wanted so desperately for the police to arrive, so this wasn’t your problem anymore. Slowly he put the stuff down that he was holding, and properly faced you. “So this is it then, is it? You know I’m not going to give up, I’d rather die.” Suddenly you heard loud hard banging on the front door, “POLICE OPEN THE DOOR.” You stared at Ted and he stared at you. The banging got louder, and the demands to be let in more intense. “Please don’t do this to me y/n.” “Please don’t make me do it, please Ted, I love you, please.” Three things happened in such quick succession you barely had time to register them. First, you heard the door cave in and be smashed to pieces. Second, you saw Ted’s eyes flash to the bedroom window and he tried to run. Third, you pulled the trigger.

The end...?


End file.
